Sunday Homily June 17, 2012, 11th Ordinary Time
Readings:
Ezekiel 17, 22-24, Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it.
Psalm 92, Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
2 Corinthians 5, 6-10, We are always courageous.
Mark 4, 26-34, Through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.
Observations on Ezekiel
Who: Ezekiel is one of the Big 3 prophets. Why? 48 chapters. The other 2: Isaiah & Jeremiah. Lots of chapters.
Ezekiel was born into the priest class. He later was considered a prophet. When he was about 25 he was swept up in the Babylonian captivity, around 590.
When: It covers the period of the Captivity, but it is composed toward the end of the Captivity, around 550, before Christ. This is Ezekiel’s material, but it has been saved and edited by his fellow priests.
Message:
- Ezekiel warns the people that they will be punished for their bad ways, for example, the Captivity.
- He promises comfort and a brighter future for the captive, especially envisioning a restored temple (which was done until when? The year 70, when the Romans finally destroyed the temple & the priestly cast ceased to function, to this day).
- An amusing vision: The Dry Bones, chapter 37.
Today’s selection: Consolation. Watch for a comforting message about a cedar tree.
Sources: Good News Bible, New Interpreter’s Study Bible, Wikipedia
Father’s Day
In honor of Father’s Day I want to tell you 4 vignettes that I saw this weekend at a wedding Rosemary & I celebrated in Marshall, TX. Two of the fathers are the couple’s dads. The other two are guys I saw in action.
The wedding was for Kyle Dansby, a boy whom I have known and loved since way back in the nineties when he & often his two younger brothers helped me as altar servers at St. Mark’s. Ashli Marie Acker was Kyle’s fiancé’.
The first time I noticed something special was at breakfast yesterday morning in our motel, Comfort Suites. Rosemary & I were seated at a table in the dining room about 9:00. In comes a young couple with a girl about 3 and a boy who was placed in a high chair.
This little boy fell immediately in love with Rosemary. To see her he had to turn around left in his chair. Despite dad’s efforts to interest him in eating, the little boy just watched Rosemary. Food went uneaten and even on the floor.
We talked with the little boy who never spoke, just watched. Despite dad’s plans and despite the mess, dad never lost his cool. When it was time for them to leave, he simply cleaned up, held out his arms, and the little boy put up his arms to be held. I was touched, especially by his not placing project over people.
Later at the wedding, which was outdoors across the plaza from the pretty Marshall courthouse in a small park with a gazebo attached to a building. So there was a stage effect. We had two little flower girls, Lily & Abby. Kids are always a delight at a wedding and these little girls were no exception.
First, they got lost trying to choose which access to get up on the gazebo stage. So I went and helped them up. Then, as the wedding progressed, they were everywhere. They went up and down, they went to pick up their flower baskets, and they were chatting with the bride’s maids. Dad never got flustered. Nor did anyone on the stage. Instead of being seen as distractions, they were celebrated as delights.
Another example of people over project.
Then there was Ashli’s father. Nice guy, congenial, probably in his fifties. Then I discover he has recently obtained his doctorate and is teaching at a college maybe in Beaumont. I am most impressed because I was trained as a Jesuit and still believe it that we never stop learning. Life is an adventure in learning. And here is an example.
Finally, Kyle’s dad. I discovered that when Kyle was about 2 or 3 his mom died of cancer. She was only about 34. I cannot imagine how difficult this must have been. I talked with him just a little bit about the event and he admitted that it was really, really tough.
Later, fortunately, he met his present wife and has two more sons. Faithfulness.
These four guys touched me each in their own special way. The two fathers of the little kids reminded me of my own struggle with placing projects over people. Ashli’s dad exemplifies the ideal that learning is a lifelong adventure. And Kyle’s dad, faithfulness.
How are you blessed by the dads in your life?
How are you dads blessing our world?